


Promises

by PirateNinjaOutlaw



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Conquest spoilers, Death, English Names, Fluff, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, No Deeprealms, Nohr | Conquest Route, Non-Canonical Character Death, Swearing, Translated Names, also, because deeprealms are dumb, not all cannon, ok fine, some conquest spoilers, some deeprealms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-18 11:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7313800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PirateNinjaOutlaw/pseuds/PirateNinjaOutlaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was finally that day. The day Niles had been waiting for for so long now. It was the day his husband was coming back. Niles had spent these last few...what was it? Days? It felt like weeks ACHING for Corrin to come back, and it was finally the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 5 Days Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 5 Days before Corrin returns

It was finally that day. The day Niles had been waiting for for so long now. It was the day his husband was coming back. Niles had spent these last few...what was it? Days? It felt like weeks ACHING for Corrin to come back, and it was finally the day.  
Corrin took the army to storm Hoshido for the final battle, and had told Niles to stay behind.

\----------------------------------------------------5 Days Before----------------------------------------------------  


"Corrin," Niles said, "I'm not as fragile as you make me out to be."

"The only one implying that you are weak is YOU, Niles," said his husband jokingly. "Besides, you're not staying behind because I'm worried of you capability to fight, I have to go and you're the only one who knows the children well enough to take care of them."

"Felicia and Jakob are both capable!" Niles demanded. "They have been in our children's lives for as long as we have!" This battle was going to be dangerous, and Niles knew that, he wanted to be able to be by his husband to ensure his safety.

It was odd to see Niles lose his cool like this, but Corrin was steady with what he believed. Corrin knew the casualties would be immense, and he didn't want to risk his love being one of them.

"Niles," Corrin said desperately, "you know perfectly well how clumsy Felicia is, and have you SEEN Jakob with Dwyer? You are the only person I trust to take care of your children."

Niles said nothing. He knew deep down his husband was right, he usually was, he just didn't want to admit it. Corrin meant so much to him, he couldn't bear even THINKING about losing him. He was his redemption, and he needed him in his life. Niles knew Corrin better than anyone, so he could tell when he was dead set in his ways, and knew there was no point in arguing.

He closed his eye and sighed. "Alright. I'll stay here."

Corrin looked relieved as embraced his husband. "Thank you so much. You know exactly what to do right? What they eat and won't eat, when the sleep, what their favorite book is."

"Corrin, love, you act like I'm their babysitter and not their father." Niles chuckled to himself quietly as his husband blushed

"Y-yes! Of course I know! I was just...making sure YOU knew, of course!" Corrin was incredibly flustered now, he always got flustered easily around his husband.

Niles kissed Corrin on the cheek. "Ah yes, of course that's what you were doing. How foolish of be to believe otherwise." The room went quiet for a few moments, until Corrin spoke,

"Well, I should be going then. There is a war meeting I have to go to before we leave in the morning. It's just a quick briefing to go back over the plan."

Niles nodded solemnly. He understood what Corrin was saying, even if he didn't want to admit it. He reached out to his husband and kissed him. When the pulled apart, Niles whispered into his husband's ear,

"If you come back with so much as a SCRATCH, I'm not speaking to you for the rest of our lives."

Corrin chuckled as his husband's gesture and kissed his forehead. He broke away from his husband and started for the door.

"Corrin," Niles said. Corrin turned around to look his husband in the eye. "Promise me you'll come back."

Corrin smiled at his husband's question. He knew he couldn't keep that promise, but he embraced his husband again, and said "I promise, I will come back with not a single scratch on my body."

He felt the tears well up into his eyes and tried to hold them back. He knew what was going to happen, he knew that he was most likely going to be one of the casualties in the oncoming battle, but Niles gave him hope. He couldn't die, he knew he wouldn't, he told himself he wouldn't, and he believed he wouldn't. He knew he wouldn't die, because Niles and their children were waiting for him at home. He was going to fight, and he was going to win. He would come home, run to his family, and never let them go. After all, he was a giant dragon, he couldn't possibly get hurt...

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed it from 4 days to 5 days because of what's going to happen


	2. The Briefing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The army has one last meeting before their departure in the morning

The mission briefing went over well, the entire plan was laid out on storming Hoshido, with little room for error. The Great Knights and Paladins would go first, being led by Xander. They were to take out all the archers they could. Next would come the fliers, led by Camilla. They would take out as many units as they could before letting the generals and mages, led by Leo Effie and Benny, come through. Finally, the rest would be led by Kaze, Azura, and Charlotte, and they would take down anyone left behind by the others. The objective was to get in, get out, and avoid killing anyone. Of course, what's necessary is necessary, but the less casualties the better.

Right as the meeting was about to end, Corrin stood up. 

"Everyone," he said, "thank you. Your bravery and dedication will not be forgotten in the years to come. Without you, Nohr would most likely be in ruins now. It is because of all of you that I can stand here and proudly say, I am confident we are going to win tomorrow. Hoshido doesn't stand a chance over the mighty kingdom of Nohr!" 

Applause and cheers rang through the tent, as the sibling eyed their brother. They were nervous, and they could tell Corrin was too. There was no reason for him to be as cheerful as he was at the current moment. Once the tent was cleared, it was only Azura, Kaze, and the Nohrian siblings left. They all confronted Corrin afterwards. 

Kaze looked sadly at Corrin. "Don't even think about it." 

"What?" Corrin said, confused. 

"There is no way you're going to die! You're my big brother after all!" Elise joined the conversation, followed my a nod from Leo. 

"Corrin, you are going to survive this, ALL of us are going to survive this, and we are going to make sure of it." Xander had spoken up after the others. 

"I couldn't DARE to lose you, my lovely baby brother!" said Camilla, walking towards Corrin. She hugged him tight, and he could barely breathe because of the size of her chest. He was happy to know that his sibling loved him, even if they weren't related by blood. 

"Truly," Azura piped in. "We will not have you being a casualty in the battles to come. You are too important." 

Corrin smiled and hugged Azura. 

"Thank you, but I wasn't planning on throwing my life away that easily, I have a husband and children after all." 

The tension in the room fled with Corrin's reassuring smile, and he knew he couldn't die. 

They all engaged in a group hug, and nobody wanted to let go. Azura was the first to break apart. 

"Kaze, we can't exactly leave Midori and Shigure alone for much longer." 

"They'll be fine! You have to stop babying them so much!" Kaze said, chuckling at the look his wife gave him. 

"Kaze, Midori can barely walk and Shigure is afraid of being alone. We can't just leave them for so long." 

Kaze let out a booming laugh, who knew a ninja could be that loud. "Alright, alright. I suppose we can go back now. Goodnight everyone. Sleep well, we all will need it." 

The couple left the tend hand in hand, and left the sibling to chatter amongst themselves. 

The siblings chatted for awhile, but eventually decided it was time for them all to sleep. Once Elise, Camilla, and Leo had left, Xander turned to Corrin. 

"Corrin, what you said to those soldiers, it was truly inspiring. We may not be related by blood, but I am proud to have you as my brother." 

Corrin smiled, but remembered something that had been troubling him earlier. 

"Xander, do you think it's WISE to have both of Siegbert's parents in the battle?" 

Xander chuckled, "Don't let her seemingly kind nature fool you. She could probably beat me in a sparring match! I can count on her staying alive." 

"And you better not die either, Xander." 

Charlotte had been eavesdropping from outside the tent. "If you do anything stupid and die I swear you're going to regret it for the rest of your life! You hear me?" 

"Y-yes dea-mmph!" 

Charlotte shut him up by kissing him. She didn't want to think about losing him, NOBODY wanted to think about losing anybody. Tensions were high, and everyone needed to stay positive. It looked like Charlotte had no intention of stopping anytime soon, so Corrin started toward the door. He didn't want to be reminded of Niles. 

Wait. What was he saying?! He wanted to think of Niles! He was going to come back, and he was going to be with his family! Everything was going to be fine!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably my favorite chapter to write out of all of them tbh. Ooooooh boy the shit fest is about to start soon :D  
> remember if you like this, then follow my tumblr at fire-emblem-what-ifs.tumblr.com


	3. Goodnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A late night chat with Niles and the children

Corrin came home after the meeting and was surprisingly not being pounced upon by Niles. However, once Corrin entered the house, he saw his husband sleeping on the bed, and next to him were their two daughters, Nina and Kana, all huddled up together. Corrin tried his best not to disturb them, but ultimately failed as the floorboards creaked under every step, causing Niles to jolt.

"Shhhh It's fine! It's just me!" Corrin whispered, trying not to wake the sleeping children. "Everything is fine. There is no intruder." 

Corrin made his way towards the bed with his family, and got under the covers. Niles rested his arm over his husband, and Corrin had the two small children between them. Kana started to stir, undoubtedly from the noise and movement from the bed. 

"Papa?" Kana said, in a dream-like state. 

"It's alright, Kana. I'm here now." Corrin said, reassuring his daughter. 

"Papa, do you leave tomorrow?" Kana was so tired that she yawned half way through the sentence. Corrin simply hugged his daughter and said, "Yes dear. I leave tomorrow." 

"Are you gonna end the war Papa?" 

"Yes dear, I'm going to try to end the war as best as I can." 

"Are people gonna die?" 

Corrin shot his eyes open immediately and looked over. His husband had the same shocked expression on his face. Corrin had no clue what to say, he didnt want to expose his children to the harsh reality of the real world, but he didn't exactly want to lie to her either. 

At that moment, Nina, who had apparently woke up too, said "Of course not! Daddy will protect them, right?" 

Corrin looked at Niles with sad eyes, and Niles looked down at the girls. Corrin had to tell them the truth.

"Nina, Kana, I can't promise people aren't going to die, but I can promise you that I will try my to protect them to the best of my ability." 

Niles looked at his husband and held his hand. The girls snuggled closer to their father to get more comfortable. "Okay, just as long as you come back Daddy." Nina yawned and fell back asleep against Niles. "Papa, please come back home. And Uncle Leo. And Uncle Xander. And Aunt Camilla. And Aunt Elise. And-" 

"Yes Kana, I promise we will all come back." Kana snuggled even closer to her father now, and was almost asleep. "You promise?" "Yes sweetie, I promise. Goodnight, Kana." Kana fell asleep after hearing her father's pledge to come back. Corrin felt a sense of pride and joy from his daughter. She was so strong, and yet so naive at the same time. He knew that, in time, Kana would become a strong warrior, but hopefully that day may never come. He didn't want his children to live in a world of fear, hate, and murder. He wanted them to be able to grow up like normal children, an opportunity he never had himself. 

Niles grabbed his husband's hand and kissed the knuckles. Corrin shut his eyes and exhaled as Niles put his hand on his cheek. "I love you, you know that right? I love you alot." Niles' voice was barely a whisper, not wanting to wake the children up a second time. 

"I mean, I hope so. You did marry me after all." Niles chuckled, and closed his eye. Corrin was almost asleep when he heard his husband barely whisper "...Please don't leave me. Ever." And then he was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nina and Kana are very cute  
> (also I am sorry about this being so short, I was out for 13 hours the day I'm writing this (the night before) and i am very tired)


	4. The Time Has Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin is about to leave for the final battle

Morning came far to early the day of his departure, much to Corrin's dismay. It was still dark out when he woke up, but he knew it was morning. He opened his eyes, to see that there was nobody there by him. Both of his daughters had dissappered along with his husband. _Hmm,_ Corrin thought, _I wonder where they-_

Corrin's thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash downstairs, followed by a string of profanity that was undoubtedly his husband.

"DADDY! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!"

"Yes yes Nina dear, I know. I'm sorry."

"Dad...you broke the bowls."

Corrin tried to stop himself from laughing at his daughter, but ultimately failed, his laugh was fairly silent, however. Corrin had to go downsairs and see what happened. He could hear Nina and Niles arguing silently and ultimately stopped laughing enough to move. Everyone downstairs stopped suddenly when they heard the floorboards creek under Corrin's steps. Niles ran to the stairs as fast as he could to stop his husband from seeing how much of a mess the three of them made.

"HEY, LOVE! AHAHA! GOOD MORNING! NOTHING TO SEE HERE JUST BEING AN EXCELENT FATHER HERE! NO NEED TO WORRY GO BACK TO SLEEP NOW!" Niles was sweating. _I messed up I messed up I messed up he knows he knows he **knows**_

"Niles, its amazing how much of a terrible liar you are when put under pressure. How were you a theif again?" Corrin almost laughed again at his husband.

"I ran away most of the times and hid in the shadows to avoid confrontation. You of all people should have guessed that from my legs" Niles said and winked.

_Goddammit,_ Corrin thought to himself, _I don't have time for this._ "So, what was that noise I heard from upstairs?"

"W-what noise? I didn't hear a noise." Niles was visibly sweating now.

"Mmhmm. Hey, Kana-Bean? What was that noise I heard?"

Kana rushed out from the kitched, covered in flour, dough, and... gods what that EGG? "We were making breakfast with daddy, Papa!" Kana smiled proudly at her father, but she was pulled away by her older sister. "KANA! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! NOW DADDY IS GONNA BE MAD!"

Corrin could hear how sad Kana was, and said, sternly "Niles. Move. Now."

Niles had no complaints and moved aside immediately, he didn't want to anger his husband more. He already knew what to expect. The kitchen was in shambles. Bowls were broken, ingredients were everywhere, the sink was SOMEHOW broken, the window was shattered (somehow?) and now the girls were fighting in the kitchen. Corrin was going to be pissed. Niles was expecting a huge argument, lots of yelling, and ATLEAST one of the children crying while apologizing.

What he didn't to expect was Corring walking into the kitchen and laughing.

Niles was so confused, and clearly so were the girls, because they stopped fighting immediately.

Corrin almost fell over he was laughing so much. Once he regained his composure, he started wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Wait. So...you're NOT mad?"

"How could I be mad at this? I'm actually sort of relieved, in my own twisted way I guess." Corrin smiled as he replied to his husband. "You put so much effort into making breakfast, but maybe you should leave the cooking to other people from now on."

Kana and Nina separated and hung their heads in shame. "Were sorry, Daddy" Nina said. "Yeah. We wanted to make you breakfast before you left, but we broke the kitchen. Sorry, Papa." Kana was about to cry, when Corrin crouched infront of her and wiped away her tears. Kana looked up, shocked, and Corrin simply smiled at her. He thought the gesture was very sweet. Kana couldn't hold back her tears, and jumped into her father's arms. Corrin stayed there, and rubbed her back as she cried. It always helped when she was an infant, he was pretty sure it would still work. And it did, within minutes Kana's tears had subsided, and she backed away from her father and smiled. 

Niles finally decided to say something, "We were all kind of tired of Jakob's cooking. There are only so many times a person can eat whatever disgusting food he makes."

Corrin chuckled, and said "Believe me, I know." before roaring like a dragon and picked up his two girls, who started screaming and giggling. Corrin came over to Niles with the two hysterical children over his shoulders. Niles grabbed Nina from him and smiled. He kissed Nina on the forehead, and proceeded to kiss his husband. Nina and Kana both made sounds of disgust at their display of affection. "Alright," Corrin said, "It's time to clean up the kitchen!" He set down the two children and started giving orders. "Nina, Kana, you two get wet rags and start cleaning the counters. Niles, you and I will start cleaning the walls and ceiling, because you somehow got both of those things."

Niles had nothing to say, even he had no idea how he did that.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After they were done cleaning, they decided to get food at the mess hall instead. Corrin had alerted Jakob about the broken window, and to say that Jakob was shocked was an understatement. He looked like he was going to die, but was unable to because his body wouldn't let him. Jakob promised to have everything fixed by the time Corrin returned from the battle. Corrin made sure to make a mental note to thank the butler profusely when he came back.

When the four of them were done, they all went on a walk together around the camp. They chatted and told funny stories, and focused on spending time with eachother. Nina said she was heading back home, she wanted to sleep. She hugged Corrin, and kissed his cheek. "Goodbye, Daddy" she said, sadly. Eventually, the time came in which Corrin had to get ready to leave. With teary eyes he said goodbye to his friends. Before he set out, he came over to his husband and daughter. Kana started crying, so Corrin went to her.

"Now, Kana, I'm gonna need you to hold down the fort for me while I'm gone. You understand?"

Kana wiped away her tears and said to her father, "Y-yes Papa. Why not ask Daddy to protect us? I'm not strong enough."

Corrin playfully gasped at his daughter "KANA! You are absolutely strong! You are so strong, you just have to believe it, then use that to fight back! Also, between you and me," he got down and whispered to his daughter, "Your Daddy is kind of a wimp without me. He cries alot."

Niles kicked Corrin in the side, and he just smiled. Corrin reached around his neck, and untied the piece of fabric he was wearing. "Here. Wear this, it's a gift, so you won't feel as sad when I'm gone."

Kana gasped, and turned around swiftly so her father could tie it around her neck. "I love it! Thank you Papa!"

"You're very welcome, my little Kana-Bean." Corrin hugged his daughter."Well, I'm off then! I love you both so much, and I can't wait to get back. Make sure to tell Nina I said goodbye." 

"I LOVE YOU PAPA!"

"Safe travels, love!"

Corrin looked back and waved, and walked away. Niles watched him depart, and whispered to himeself, "Remember your promise." Niles was on the verge of tears.

Kana looked up at her father, and said "Don't worry, Daddy! Papa will come back!"

Niles looked down at the small girl, wiped his tears, and said "You're right. He will come back. Now, let's go find your sister, shall we?"

Kana jumped up and down and started running towards the treehouse. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Niles brought lunch up to Nina's room, and knocked on the door to tell her he was coming in with food. He opened the door and- 

The room was empty? That was weird. He thought he didn't hear the door open. He ran downstairs to tell Kana that he would look around the camp for Nina. 

Niles asked everyone he saw in camp, but to no avail. Nobody had seen her since this morning. 

Niles panicked. It was day one without Corrin and he already lost his daughter. Niles was about to give up when he heard a voice behind him. 

"AH! Niles! The One Eyed Archer of Destiny! The Fair Bringer of People's Dooms! Why must you wallow in despair?" It was Odin. Niles didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Odin.

"Not now, Odin. I have my own troubles to take care of." 

"Ah, that look in your singular eye! If you had your second one, it would most likely show the same sense of despair! You...have lost something precious to you, have you not?" 

Niles let out an exasperated sigh. "Odin, I didn't just lose some stupid object that I can replace, I lost Nina." 

Odin's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "AHA! SO THAT IS IT! WHY DID YOU NOT JUST SAY SO! I saw hear earlier this morning, running toward the barracks!" 

"WHAT?" Niles was scared. He took off as fast as he could to the barracks, and searched everywhere. Finally, the thought struck him. He knew where Nina was. 

She wasn't in the treehouse. 

She wasn't in the barracks. 

She wasn't in the camp. 

She had snuck onto the cargo with the rest of the army. 

_She was with Corrin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOOOO BOY! THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE!  
> So, due to my schedule, I will not post a chapter of this on Friday, but instead I will try to post 2 chapters on Saturday.  
> Now, where was I? Oh yeah! Get ready for the next few chapters! >:3c


	5. A Bow and Arrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stowaway joins them

Niles was panicking. His daughter had left with his husband to a fight that she will most likely die from. He had to go after her, but Corrin was going to find out, and he could NOT let that happen. What was he going to do? There was no way he could just leave, they had already been walking for over half a day. He couldn't catch up to his daughter, and with Lilith gone there was no way he could ever HOPE to catch up... what was he going to do...

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nighttime came and it was time to set up a temporary camp. Everyone sat around the fire and began to eat their food, well, everyone except Keaton that is. They had all been walking for hours, and somehow not a single person has passed out. Keaton was the only one who was still as lively as ever. 

"Ahhhh! Man, I love the outdoors! So many treasure to find out here!" The wolfssenger jumped around excitedly. "Oh boy! Velouria would love this!" he picked up a stick and put it in a bag he had on his back. He then proceeded to pick up a leaf, a pebble, and a bird feather. He stopped suddenly and sniffed the air and started growling. "Someone is following us, and it smells delicious." Keaton licked his lips as he said that and grabbed his beast stone, ready to transform. 

Corrin groaned as he stood up, he just wanted to sleep. "Alright everyone, gear up! Keaton, sniff them out for us." Corrin grabbed his Yato and dragon stone, just incase the enemy was tough. Keaton immediately got on the ground and tried to follow the scent, ultimately leading him to the caravan that was trailing not too far behind the troops. 

"IT'S IN HERE! WHATEVER IT IS! CAN I KILL IT? IM HUNGRY!" Keaton came over to a burlap sack and grabbed it. Whatever was in the bag started to scream. Keaton shook the bag around a little, before growling. "Heheheh, alright, play time is over. Time to eat!" Keaton was about to throw the bag, when whatever it was started screaming again. Corrin immediately recognised the scream, and rushed toward Keaton. 

"KEATON STOP!" Corrin screamed. He knew what was in the bag, and was shocked, horrifyed, and VERY pissed off. Corrin retrieved the sack from the wolfssegner and placed it on the ground. He opened it up, and sure enough, Nina was inside of the bag. 

She looked up at her father, "D-daddy? It was so scary in there." She was about to cry, but Corrin didn't comfort her, he wanted to so bad, but he couldn't let her get away with this. 

"Nina, what are you doing here." To say Corrin was pissed off was an understatement, he just didn't know weather he was pissed at himself, his daughter, or his husband. 

The child stepped out of the bag and brushed the dirt off of herself, "That's easy! I came here to help you!" Corrin placed his head in his hand, about to snap. "Nina. This was a very bad thing. You need to go home. Right. Now." Oh boy, would he be having a VERY long talk with Niles when he got back. 

"NO! I'm staying here with you! I can fight too!" The child held up a very shabby bow, made of a piece of yarn and a stick. The arrow was in much worse shape, what appeared to be a round rock tied to a feather. Although Corrin was amazed at how it didn't break, he knew he had to somehow get her home, but there was no time. If they didn't storm Hoshido soon. then Hoshido would be after THEM. To add insult to injury, they had no clue where they were. According to Keaton, somehow in the time they spent walking, it would take a little over 3 days to get back to the camp. They had gone through several forrest, and none of them knew how to get back. How Corrin wished Lillith was there next to him, and able to take his child back to the camp. There was no way he was going to bring Nina with him, she was only 7! She couldn't fight, she could barely hold a bow up! They had to turn back, IMMEDIATELY. 

Unfortunately, they couldn't do that. They didn't have time, and also, the snap of a branch deep in the forrest alerted all of them that they were most likely surrounded by either bandits, Hoshidans, or Faceless. A few seconds later, something lunged at Gunter, and the old man ware barely able to deflect it with his spear. "EVERYONE, GEAR UP!" he shouted, riding his horse to the edge of the forrest to get whatever was coming first. As everyone hastily geared up, Corrin picked up Nina and put her in the caravan. "Stay. Here." he ordered to the small child. He ran off, rushing into the heat of battle. 

Corrin ran to stand beside Gunter, and protected the old man from another impending attack. He slashed to his left, unable to see any enemy coming after them. It was far too dark, and far too late, for all of this bull. "Light! I need light!" the prince shouted. Next to him, he saw a light. Not just a light, but several. Everything started becoming brighter and brighter, until he could see the enemies perfectly. Definitely Faceless, at least this should be a SOMEWHAT easy battle. Everyone charged straight ahead to attack, while Nina wept silently in the carriage. She shouldn't have come here, she was very afraid. She wanted to go home, to her dad and sister. She wanted to sleep in her bed, she just wanted to go home. She was so hungry. 

Corrin lept to his left, nearly missing a blow to his side, and slashed to his right. He took care of the Faceless behind him too, with a single circular slash around him. Unfortunately, he knew this tactic wouldn't work for long. Everyone else had scattered to go fight on their own. He was on his own, and soon found himself surrounded. He tried to kill as many as he could, but eventually got hit. He let out a screech at the pain of the impact. His vision went blurry, and he started to black out. 

Nina heard the scream, and looked up. That was her father, he was in trouble! She had to help him, but how? Her bow wouldn't work, it already broke in half while she was crying. She had to get a real weapon. She went through all the crates the had, tomes, swords, spears, but not anything she could use. She knew nothing about magic, and the others were too heavy for her to lift. She glanced around once more, and something shiny caught her eye. She picked up the object, and tested the string, just like Niles taught her. It was hard to pull back, but she eventually got the hang of it after a couple pulls. She found a quiver on the ground and slung it over her shoulder. It tripped her with every step she took, but she had to go, she had to protect her father. 

Corrin was kneeling on the ground, panting. He couldn't take many more hits, he was already very injured, and out of Vulnerary. He couldn't give up, his daughter was too close to him. She wasn't safe. He had to get up. 

Come on legs! WORK! He got up as fast as he could, there was no doubt something was broken. He ran toward a faceless, just to get knocked down again. He couldn't move. He was done for. The faceless reached back, to deliver the final blow. 

_No_

The fist was almost back 

_Not like this_

The fist was coming forward 

_Nina, please run_

The faceless collapsed and evaporated, nothing left but a single arrow. Corrin looked up to see his 7 year old daughter, looking very angry, bow in hand. 

"STAY AWAY FROM MY DADDY!" she screamed. She pulled another arrow from the quiver, eyed up her target, and released the arrow. It flew through the air, and hit a faceless in the hole in the mask. Nina proceded to do the same for every Faceless surrounding her father. 

Nina ran over to him, and produced a Vulnerary from her pocket. She handed it to her father, who drank it greatfully. By the time he got up, the battle was over. He still needed a healer, he was about to collapse. "Nina, why did you leave?" Corrin looked up painfully at his daughter. He saw the look in her eyes. It was the first time she killed anything, she was scared. 

"Daddy.. I-I heard a scream and, I found this bow and and and I. I shot them." 

Corrin could barely stand, but he went over to his daughter and hugged her. She started sobbing loudly, and hugged him back. 

_What am I going to do now?_ Corrin thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang.  
> Sorry to leave you guys off from this. My day was INCREDIBLY busy. Like I said, I will not be updating tomorrow, but HOPEFULLY I will update 2 chapters on Saturday.


	6. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She has never been this scared in her life.

_Where am I? Where is daddy? Sister? Papa? Who are you?_

_A shadowy figure stood infront of her. Wait, was it her? She looked down and saw it was, indeed, not her. Kana panicked. Where did she get these clothes? Whatever it was, it was about to bring it's sword down on her. She tried screaming, but she couldn't get her voice to work. The figure put the sword to its side, ready to attack, but purposely angled it so she could see her reflection._

_Nina?_

_He brought the sword forward_

She woke up in a cold sweat, still scared from the nightmare and started crying immediately 

Niles could hear screaming from upstairs and released his drink as fast as he could and rushed up to his daughter. He frantically threw the door open and almost tore it off the hinges. 

"Oh, Kana. Shhh it's okay, it was just a nightmare." Niles ran over to comfort the small girl. He got into the bed with her and she rolled next to him. She couldn't stop crying. 

"What happened? Please, stop crying. You can tell me." Niles sat up and put the small girl in his lap. He hugged her like he saw Corrin do constantly, he rubbed her back gently. She stopped crying just enough to be able to speak. 

"I was in this weird place. A-and you weren't there, and Papa wasn't t-there, and...I was Nina, except older. And the thing tried to attack m-me a-and I woke up. It was s-so s-scary, Daddy.!" The child was immediately thrown into sobs again. Niles tried to calm her down some more, but she couldn't stop crying. He picked up the girl and took her down the stairs to the kitchen, and sat her on the counter. He quickly seached the cupboards for the sweets. He gave it to the quivering little girl who sat on the counter. She looked at it before eating it, making sure it was not a trick. "Paba nevuh lesh meh hab foof afer I bruh mah eef" Kana said, her mouth full of cookie. 

"Well, make sure to brush your teeth again. I'm glad you've calmed down." Niles said, he was feeling a little tired himself. 

Kana just noticed his breath, it smelled different, but familiar. "Daddy, you've drinking, haven't you?" 

Niles couldn't help but let out a sigh at how pathetic he felt, was it really that obvious? He promised himself to stop completely when Kana and Nina were first adopted, or rather found. "Yes. I'm sorry. It's just...I ... When some adults get really...sad, they do things- like drink." 

Kana was sad too. "Is it because of Nina?" 

"Yeah." the one eyed man said, solemnly 

"I'm scared too. But Daddy is there! And so is Uncle Leo, and Uncle Xander, and Aunt Elise, and Aunt Camilla! Kaze is there and so is Azura! Benny is there too! I heard Benny can lift an ENTIRE MOUNTAIN!" Kana said excitedly. The was no stopping her now. 

The two sat in the kitched for a few hours telling stories about things they heard from people in camp. Kana eventually laid down on the counter to close her eyes. "I'm not tired I'm just-" Her sentence was cut short by her yawn. "...Resting my eyes." and with a sigh, she was asleep. 

Niles chuckled to himself and lifter her up. He carried her to her bed and covered her up. She started to snore. Niles couldn't help but smiling. He laid next to her, so he was able to comfort her if she had another nightmare, but soon fell asleep himself. 

Nobody woke up for the rest of the night. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the camp that night, Nina had taken Corrin's sleeping bag. He sat at the fire and looked at her. How could he have let this happen. How could NILES have let this happen. How could ANYBODY have let this happen. Did nobody check the cargo before they left? He just hoped what he planned now would work. He NEEDED Kaze to tell him what he needed to hear, that what he thought was near was near. 

The ninja appeared next to him suddenly. "Milord, I believe I have found what you are looking for." Corrin looked relieved. "Well? Lead me there." he glanced at his daughter before departing. The ninja led him to a door, in the middle of nowhere, that had a light blue light around the edge of it. 

"A deeprealm." he breathed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c


	7. A New Plan

Corrin stared inquisitively at the door infront of him. It was just standing there, no doubt running by some sort of magic. He walked to the door cautiously and grabbed the handle. He pulled open the door, and saw that it was daytime through it. He quickly shut the door and looked at the green haired ninja.

"How did you find this?" Corrin asked.

Kaze kept eye contact, never faltering as he told Corrin. Apparently, Saizo had told them about it when they were young. He had to take a walk before remembering completely where the door was. "I trust this will suffice, milord?" 

"Yes, thank you very much Kaze. I am in your debt." 

Kaze opened his eyes at Corrin and shook his head. "Milord, you saved my life countless times, I could not ask for any sort of payment." Corrin smiled and looked away. 

"We should probably head back. You understand what I'm planning, correct?" 

Kaze nodded, and started to walk with Corrin. They were half way back when Corrin thought to ask "So, what is the time difference from here to there?" 

Kaze continued to walk at the same pace as Corrin. "If I am correct, then it should be 3 years there for a day here." 

Corrin was amazed that magic could be as powerful as to create a whole different realm within this one. Of course, if they went there, that would mean going to Hoshido would be delayed by a lot, but he couldn't waste this chance. He couldn't bring Nina home, he didn't know where the portal was, and searching for it would just take more time, plus what was keeping Nina from following him off to battle again. He was confident that putting Nina home would just result in her finding another way back to him. This was the only way. 

As they arrived back at the camp, Nina was still sound asleep, but everyone else had gathered around the fire. 

"Alright. First thing first," Corrin said, quietly. He didn't want to wake up Nina. "Kaze did indeed find a deep realm. This, however, does alter the plan by a lot. Will you all be willing to follow what I have planned next?" 

Xander stood up, "I believe I speak for everyone here when I say we will follow you to the ends of the earth if you wanted us to." 

Corrin had hoped it wouldn't come to that, but it reassured him. "Great. So, since we have an... unexpected guest with us now, she is far too young to join a battle. There is no way she won't follow us back if we bring her back to camp. That, and Keaton informed me that he was wrong, and it would take MUCH longer to get back to camp, and we only have one portal item left, and we CANNOT waste it." Corrin looked down at the fire. "The only solution is to wait a few days, according to Kaze 2 days should be fine, we don't really have any more time than that. A single day here is 3 days in that particular deep realm." Everyone nodded at Corrin, following along so far. "I want to put Nina in that deep realm for 2 days. By the time she comes out she should be strong enough to fight." Everyone's eyes widened at that. They all had so many questions, but none of them wanted to ask. Leo was the one to finally stand up, "Brother, how EXACTLY do you expect her to stay in her deep realm and train?" 

Corrin knew someone was going to ask that, and he had already made up his mind. "I will be in there with her, for the next 2 days for you guys, the next 6 years for us." 

Everyone was even more shocked at this, except Gunter, who looked like he knew that's what Corrin was going to say. "I need all of you to protect the door while we are in there. There may be another faceless attack that may make its way into the realm. I almost died in the previous fight. If not for Nina, I would not be here today. I owe her, that's why I need to train her. By the time we come out, she will be 13." 

Xander looked at his younger brother "AND YOU WILL BE OLDER THAN ME! Corrin, think about this, is this what you REALLY want? I'm sure we could have someone take Nina on the trip home, you don't have to do this, you can live the next few years of your life normally! Please Corrin, reconsider this!" Xander pleaded. He didn't want his brother to waste his life like this. There had to be some other way. 

Gunter stood up and addressed Corrin. "Perhaps I could be of some assistance?" The old man got up and walked next to Corrin. "I could go in with her and Train her for the first day here, and you can come in the day after. It would only be 3 years then. You will still be younger than both Xander AND Camilla." 

"Gunter, would you really do that?" Gunter nodded, "I am your retainer. I would do anything for you and your children." 

Corrin almost teared up. True, he would have loved to spend all that time with Nina, but it wasn't ideal. Who knows what could happen in 6 years there. Plus, because of the recent battle against the faceless, he trusted Gunter much more than himself to protect Nina. "Alright, Gunter, please take care of her. I trust you will know what to do?" Corrin wondered if Gunter knew everything his child needed. Wait, did Gunter even know how to use a bow? He knew he should ask, but he also knew better than to doubt Gunter. He quickly dismissed the meeting and crawled under the covers next to Nina. He quickly passed out next to her, but not Nina. She had been awake the whole time. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Morning came and Nina got ready and was lead to the deep realm by Corrin, Gunter, and her Aunts and Uncles, along with Kaze and Azura. Silas had decided to stay behind to take care of camp. The schedule for watching the door would be taken in shifts, with the night shift taking naps periodically throughout the day. 

Corrin turned to his daughter and saw she was crying. 

"I don't wanna go Daddy! I wanna stay with you!" Nina said. She looked down at her feet, and the tears kept flowing. She felt Corrin wrap his arms around her and pet her hair. "Shhh. I know, but this is what's best. Please, you have to trust me. You will see me soon, I promise." 

Nina looked up at her father and held out her pinky, waiting for Corrin to lock his pinky with hers. He did so, and smiled at Nina before giving her a kiss on the forehead. 

He made his way to the door and opened it, waiting for Gunter and Nina to go through. Corrin made sure to nod at Gunter when he was ready. 

"Please follow me, little princess." Gunter was next to his horse, waiting for Nina to come to him. He was able to lift Nina onto the horse with ease, she was fairly tiny. Gunter looked at Corrin one last time before nodding and leading the horse through the door. Corrin watched as his daughter looked back at him once before looking straight ahead. One the two were inside, he closed the door, fell to his knees,  


and wept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that guys! I had literally no time to create a chapter yesterday.


	8. How it Came to Be

Kana was only 2 when she was orphaned. Her parents couldn't take care of her anymore, nor did they want to. She was useless to them, a mere tool that had no use. She was always alone, until she met Nina that is. Nina was the first person who she looked up to in life. Nina did save her life after all.

Kana was about 3 when she met Nina. She was so hungry, she had spent the past year getting food from people who gave it to her, she never once thought of stealing. However, she hadn't eaten in days, she was so hungry. She needed something, and she needed it now. There was a bakery right down the street from her, if only she had some way to sneak without being noticed. She looked around the whole building for another entrance, when she came across a door in the back. It was heavy, but she was able to open it. She entered the kitchen, and boy it smelled good. There were all sorts of breads in there, and all sorts of sweets too! Kana just wanted some bread, and she saw a small loaf on a shelf. That was all she needed, but it was so high up. She had to climb on several chairs, pots, and a counter to get up there. She stacked all the objects, and prepared herself for the ascend. She climbed the flimsy tower cautiously, finally reaching the bread. She had to quickly descend from the shelf, but as she did the pot fell from underneath her, clattering as it hit the ground. A man rushed around the corner, wearing a flour-stained apron and holding a rolling pin. He looked really angry. Kana met his eyes, and jumped to the ground. She started toward the door, but someone else beat her to it. A woman, looking angrier than the man, stood in front of the giant door, Kana's only way of escaping. She headed toward the man again and slid under his legs. She ran toward the front door. She heard screaming behind her as she ran through the street. 

"THIEF! GET HER!" Shouted the baker. Kana ran, she ran as fast as she could and didn't look back. Eventually, she was surrounded, with several people looming over her. The baker had caught up with her then, and picked her up by her neck. 

"Hahaha! Good luck stealing now!" He looked at Kana with such hatred in his eyes, all she wanted was a tiny loaf of bread! She didn't think this would happen! She didn't want any of this! She wanted to go hom- 

Wait. She didn't have a home. She was alone. Nobody could save her now. The baker slapped her across her face, making a loud noise. Kana cried out for help, but nobody would help her, that was until she saw something kick the baker in between his legs. 

"Come on!" the voice said, and grabbed her arm. Kana shrieked as she was led down a dark alley by a mysterious cloaked figure. "Hurry up! Get on!" The figure now had their hands together and crouched on the ground, waiting for Kana to step on them so she could be lifted up. "Grab that ledge!" 

Kana obeyed the voice, and was now on a small balcony. She reached over to help the figure, just as she heard screaming near the alley, the baker was on his way. The figure jumped and kicked the wall to reach Kana's hand, and barely caught it. They grabbed the ledge and pulled their self up, and opened the door. "Get in!" the person shouted. Kana got up and ran in, and the door was shut behind them. 

"Are you okay? That was a pretty loud hit there!" The figure pulled their hood down to reveal a child not much older than Kana. Kana didn't realize the stinging pain in the side of her face until they mentioned it. 

Kana hissed when the person came over to examine it. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." The figure reeled back when they saw Kana was bleeding. "Shit! You must have scraped your knee when a dragged you! I'm sorry! Hang on, I'll go get some stuff for it!" The person ran to an adjacent room, leaving kana by herself. She looked down at her knee to see it was covered in blood, how had she not noticed it before? She had been running and felt nothing! 

The person came back with bandages, a rag, and a small bowl with water in it. "Hold still, this isn't going to take long." 

What she didn't mention was how much it was going to sting. Kana wasn't expecting it and screamed. The person put their hand over Kana's mouth. "SHHHH! Do you want them to find us? Look, I know it hurts, but it's better than it getting infected. Just be quiet. Here, I grabbed this before it hit the ground." They produced the small loaf of bread from their pocket, what had started this entire predicament in the first place. Kana gratefully took the bread and took a huge bite out of it. The pain started fading away, and the rag was soon replaced with bandages being wrapped around her leg. 

"There! All done!" The figure said, backing away and smiling at their handy work. Kana was amazed, it didn't hurt anymore! She looked up at the figure, mouth agape. "Woah." She said. "That's amazing! Thank you!" Kana said, and held out the rest of the bread to the figure. They took it gratefully, and scarfed it down. "Thanks kid! What's your name?" "Kana. Nice to meet you!" Kana said with a huge smile. "The name's Nina, kid. I really gotta teach you how to steal." 

\-------------------------------------- 

Over the next few months, Nina and Kana had grown inseparable. One was never without the other. They were pro pick pocketers who rarely got caught, and when they did they escaped. The had a system, one person would steal, and the other would stand back and watch in case the other got into trouble. The would steal from anyone, rich, poor, man, woman, child, they didn't discriminate. If you had something, they would take it. Even with everything that they stole, they would still be hungry. People knew they were stolen goods, so they wouldn't pay as much for them. They were lucky to get a couple coins for a few pieces of jewelry. 

However, today was different. There was a particular couple in town this day, a particularly rich looking man, and a sort of rugged looking man, they had found their target. "Alright, this should be easy. Just remember Kana, be cautious. There's two of them, so it won't be as easy, but just remember what I said, bump and run." Kana nodded enthusiastically. "Now, go after the one who looks like they have money, the one in the shiny clothing, got it?" Kana nodded again, and was off. Nina walked out into the street to watch her adoptive sister work. 

Kana walked a while down the street, _so far so good,_ Nina thought. Kana was out of sight, and in position. Nina followed the couple from the shadows, to be sure not to look suspicious. She stood in her spot for a while, following the couple when they moved. She saw Kana running towards them, and she bumped into the man. _Yes! She did it!_ Nina was so excited. 

She didn't expect the rugged man to grab Kana by the cloak. _Shit!_ Nina ran over there, and aimed for the man's legs. She landed on target, but was also grabbed by the man. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" The man said. Upon further inspection, he had white hair, an eye patch, and a ring on his hand. 

"P-please, sir! Let us go! We won't do it again! We promise!" Kana pleaded with the man, but he shook his head, "I don't believe either of you. I know how you work, and you could get into trouble for this, you have to learn your lesson SOMEHOW!" The man licked his lips, excited for teaching them. 

"Niles stop. You're scaring them." The other man spoke up now, resting his hand on the other's bicep. "Just let them go, please?" 

The white haired man- Niles -grumbled. He clearly didn't like the idea of letting them go, but he obliged. As the two girls were about to rush off, the blonde man stopped them. "I'm sorry about my husband here, he can be a bit... brash sometimes. What are your names?" 

Nina looked him in the eyes and scowled "Screw you! Why do YOU care? We just tried to steal from you!" 

The blonde smiled to himself, Nina was appalled. _He thinks I'm CUTE? How DARE HE!_ Nina tried to escape from his grasp, but couldn't move, the other man was standing on her cloak. 

"Alright then, at least tell me where your parents are so we can give you to them." 

Kana looked down at her shoes, about to cry. Nina elbowed her in the side, and she straightened her back. "We don't have any. I was left alone as a baby, and Nina's died." Nina wanted to scream. Now they knew her name too! "KANA! WHY would you tell them my NAME!" "But you just told them mine!" "YES! Well, that's only because...YOU!...UGH!" Nina couldn't think of anything. She was so frustrated and was about to cry, she felt so pathetic. "DAMMIT!" She swore. Niles and the blonde just stood there, jaws dropped at Nina's language. 

"Alright, how about this," the blonde started, "how about if you come live with my husband and I? We live in a nice place, where you won't have to steal anything, you'll have warm beds to sleep in at night, and it's safe. There are children there about your age too. You'll have lots of friends there." 

"Darling, do you really think that's a good idea? They did try to steal from us." Niles said. _FINALLY! SOMEONE WITH COMMON SENSE HERE!_ Nina was about to decline the offer, but turned to see Kana about to cry. She was looking at the blonde man with watery eyes, she had always wanted a family, and this was her opprotunity. Nina never saw her so happy before, and she didn't want to let her down, but she couldn't go with these people. "Well, Kana can do whatever she wants, I'm not going with you creeps!" Kana was shocked. 

"Nina! You promised!" 

Nina looked away from the smaller child, knowing there were tears in her eyes. She didn't want to go with these people, she didn't even know them! 

"Nina, please!" Kana's voice was shaky, and Nina couldn't help but turn to her. Tears were streaming down her face, and Nina gave in. "UGH! Fine! Whatever!" 

Kana jumped on Nina and hugged her tight. Niles chuckled to himself, and Nina glared at him. "What's so funny, Patcy McGee? Last time I checked, nobody told a fucking joke here!" Nina was enraged, and it just made Niles smile more. "Well, language is surely one thing we have to work on now." 

The blonde started laughing, which eventually made Kana laugh. "You two are so much alike it's hilarious!" Kana was practically rolling on the ground. Nina pouted and looked away. 

"Well, I guess it's time for introductions. It's wonderful to meet you Kana and Nina, that is my husband Niles, and my name is Corrin." 

Nina's eyes widened at just how badly she messed up. She almost successfully stole from a prince of Nohr. 


	9. An Unhappy Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter made me cry while writing it, so just a warning.

Corrin was devestated. He didn't know why he felt like this, he would see her soon, but for her it would be years. His main concern was if she got hurt, anything could happen, but he was guarding the door along with his siblings. Everything would be fine, he was sure of it. He trusted Gunter with his life, and with his daughter's. That was a restless night, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen in the deeprealm. Everyone had to practically force Corrin to step away from the door and sleep. By the time morning came, he was exhausted. Kaze was worried about him, but he just waved him off. He was fine! He didn't know what anyone's concern was about, he could still fight. 

He knew that this entire plan was completely idiotic, and dangerous, but it was better than sending a 7 year old into battle. Plus, she would have 6 years of experience in a lapse of 2 days, a win win situation. In all honestly, he regretted this plan more than anything he had ever done in the past, but it was the best one given the current situation. He just wanted these 24 hours to be over with quickly so Gunter could come back and rest, being with Nina for a few DAYS is exhausting on his own, but YEARS? Corrin loved that child to death, but he could only take her for so long. Gunter, however, was very bland compared to Nina. Her bright bubbly attitude contrasted greatly with his very proper demeanor, but none the less, Gunter was boring as hell. He was a highly respected knight and performed well at his craft, but he always spoke in monotone, and his stories were very uninteresting most of the time. Chances were one of them went insane because of the other by now.

It had finally been 24 hours since Gunter's departure to the deeprealm with Nina, and Corrin practically tore the door open and ran inside. If not for Xander to hold him back, he would have not stopped running. 

"Now now Corrin. You must be patient. When the door is open, time flows equally between worlds. We will guard the door to make sure it is not opened by anyone so you may train. And make sure Gunter gets back here, if you take too long we will send Flora in after you to fetch the old man." 

Corrin nodded, and struggled to get away from his older brother, he wanted to get his training done with Nina, he NEEDED to see his daughter. "Yeah, yeah whatever! Just let me go!" his instincts were kicking in, and he needed to go. He sensed something was wrong, and he didn't know what, all he knew was Nina was in trouble. Xander immediately let go of the prince, and Corrin ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. It took him a while to come across the village that he assumed they were living in, he did see Gunter's horse tied to a fence outside a house after all. He searched around the village and saw it was empty, which troubled him greatly. _Oh GODS, where is she? Please tell me she didn't get hurt, please please please!_

Corrin's eyes got watery and threatened to overflow, he couldn't handle losing his daughter after all of this, what had happened to- 

The sound of someone coughing awoke him from his thoughts, and he dried his eyes. There was still life here, maybe they knew where Nina was. Corrin ran to the house as fast as he could and opened the door. On the bed laid a figure, chest rising and falling softly, and inconsitantly. Their hair was almost completely gray, and their face was covered in scars, but Corrin still recgonized the old man. 

It was Gunter, and he wasn't doing very well. 

A gasp escaped Corrin as he ran over to his retainer. He crouched beside the bed and waited for Gunter to open his eyes, and when he did, he spoke softly. "Gunter, oh thank gods." Corrin whispered. His voice wasn't working as it normally did, he found himself to be incredibly weak. He started crying, "What happened to you, dear friend?" 

Gunter smiled and tried to sit up, putting him in a coughing fit, and laid back down. "Ah, it's age, I'm afraid. Father time has caught up to me." His breaths were growing shallow now, and his eye lids were becoming heavy. Corrin looked at him sadly and felt his forehead, he was burning up. He was dying. Corrin couldn't contain his cries, and he fell next to the bed. Gunter rested his hand against the boy's head, "Now now, don't be sad, my son." he said, trying to comfort the crying prince. Figures, even in his last moments he's trying to make Corrin happy. This only made Corrin's cries harder to contain, he was losing a person he looked up to as his father. "Please, don't cry, I'll be fine. Im just a little," he coughed, "...Ill. That's all. I'll be fine in to time." 

He was lying, and Corrin knew it. He heard the sound of someone calling his name, and stood up. "MASTER CORRIN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Undoubtedly his maid calling his name, Flora could heal him! Shee could fix Gunter! The blonde man ran outside to meet up with the blue-haired maid. He briefly explained the situation and lead Flora to the house. As soon as she got there, Flora grabbed her staff and a Vulnery and got to work. A few minutes had passed, and she came out, with a depressing look on her face. "I was able to get rid of his fever, and I used my staff to completion, but that is all I can do. I'm afraid all that is left is to sit and wait, I'm so sorry, Lord Corrin. I will alert the others of this and the door will shut. Goodbye sir." She walked away, glumly, and Corrin went back inside. Gunter's fever was gone, but his breathing had become worse. What had once been steady, had now become ragged and desperate, he was shivering too. 

"Oh, Gunter. I shouldn't have let you come here, this shouldn't have happened at all. I'm so sorry, why would I do this?" He slammed his fists against the ground, making the old man open his eyes. "Corrin, I voulenteered to come here. I told you I would do anything for your daughter, and I meant it. Please, dry your eyes and smile for me, please?" Gunter rested his hand on Corrin's face, and he looked up. He looked straight into the old man's eyes and smiled brighter than he has ever before. "There it is, that's my Corrin. Ever since Garon appointed me your retainer, I have treated you as my own. Please, keep smiling until the end, for me." And with a sigh, Gunter's hand dropped. His chest stopped rising, and his eyes were shut. He was gone. 

There was a gasp behind him, and the sound of something shattering. He stood up and turned around, dragonstone ready for a battle, but it was a girl. Her hair was long and braided into pigtails, she was wearing a long cloak and had a bow strapped on her back. There were tears in here eyes, as she ran over to Corrin and hugged him. "Daddy. Gunter, is he?" She couldn't stop crying. 

"I'm afraid so, Nina." 


	10. A Warm Welcome

Nina had had a rough few years with only Gunter. He was strict and to the point with everything, which was a problem for Nina. She needed to have some sort of freedom, so she found it in writing. Her own made up worlds were her escape from this cruel reality. Stories of heroes, villans, sacred weapons, chosen ones, all things she loved. She did, of course, end up wanting the male protagonist to end up with another male ally in the end. She found herself extremely disappointed when the male got the princess in the end, when he had much better chemistry with his ally. Oh well, it was just a book, not a reality. Just a mere escape from her life at the current moment.

The three years went by fairly quck. It seemed just yesterday Gunter had been measuring how tall she was on the door frame of the small shack they had. She would wave hello to all the villagers, and they would all wave back. It was serene, tranquil, peaceful, a wonderful break from all the war. In those three years Nina had matured greatly, and grew. She was almost a whole head taller than she was when she first came here. She was also much stronger, now being able to hold even the heaviest of bows without fail. She was a master craftsman, and even learned how to repair weapons! This was a shock for Corrin, but alot had changed about her. The two decided to catch up besides a nearby river after Gunter's funeral. 

"So..." 

"'So..' what? 'Sorry I left you here alone for 3 years. Sorry I left you here without so much as an 'I love you'?' Well? So WHAT?" Nina screamed. 

Corrin was taken aback, he certainly did not except this from his daughter. It was clear to him that he was the only one excited about the reunion. "What? Where is all this coming from?" 

Nina stared at the man with tears in her eyes "Oh, WHAT? Like it's some SURPRISE to you that I would be mad? You fucking ABANDONED ME! I thought you were DEAD!" "What? Why would I be dead?"

Nina shoved her father and he fell to the ground. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE WAITED FOR YOU! YOU SAID I WOULD BE RIGHT BACK! YOU LIED TO ME!" Corrin could see the tears in her eyes from her anger. "Y-you lied to me. I was scared. And when Gunter told me you would be back in 3 years and you weren't... I just..." "Wait...what do you mean? I came back after a day there, it should only be 3 years here. How long has it been?" 

Nina looked directly in Corrin's eyes and sniffed. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Daddy, It's almost been f-four years." 

Corrin looked at her with complete shock in his eyes. Sure, it may not seem very long, but a ot can happen in a year! "So, you're not 10, you're...?" 

"I'm 11 and extremely conflicted with my emotions." The girl said. DEFINATELY spent time with Gunter. 

"Wait, if it's been four years, then Gunter shouldn't have been that old, how did he die from old age? Sure, he wasn't YOUNG, but I mean-" 

"Wait wait wait, is THAT what he told you? No, no no no, Daddy, Gunter didn't die from old age. Daddy, Gunter died from blood loss." 

Corrin couldn't believe his daughter, how could he? There was no way Gunter could even get injured, how could he have DIED from an injury? "Who...who did this to him?" Corrin was seething with rage. 

"If I tell you, you won't believe me." 

"Nina, tell me, NOW!" Corrin demanded. His tone was stern, and Nina shivered. She had never heard her father yell like that before. 

"Alright. Daddy... Gunter tried to attack me. He couldn't control himself and almost killed me. To stop himself, he took his sword and... Daddy, Gunter killed himself." 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone was devestated after the loss of the old knight. The entire army was grieving over this tremendous tradgedy, but never lost sight of the task at hand; protecting the door at all costs. Elise was the most distraught of all, she had not really had to deal with death before, let alone the death of someone she had known for such a long time. Sure, Gunter may have not been her retainer, but the old man had still been a part of her life. Anything that made Elise cry made everyone cry, he joyful demeanor was what keep this army sane. Her laughs could make even the darkest days sunny. Of course, that's why Benny fell in love with her. He hated when she cried, it made him angry to see anyone in his family that sad. He ran as fast as he could to go comfort his wife when she ran off. He found her in the woods sitting against a tree, her dress torn up and covered in tears. Leaves were all tangled in her hair. 

The gentle giant sat down next to the small blonde and sighed. He leaned over and draped his arm around her gently. "Elise, love, I know it hurts, and you can cry all you need, but please wait until we get back to the camp. Our duty now it to protect the door, and we have to do that. Once we leave and win this battle, we'll go home. You can cry all you need to there, but for now I need you to be strong. Please be strong for me, and if not for me, be strong for Ignatious, our beautiful baby boy. Be strong for Corrin, Xander, Leo, Camilla, Effie, Arthur, please. We all need you to be strong. We need you to be stronger than you have ever been before. People are counting on us to be strong."

Elise's sobs had slowed greatly, but tears were still being shed. "Oh, Benny! I love you, but it hurts so much. I don't think I've ever been this sad before! It's awful! I-I..." Benny stood up and held out his hand to help his wife up. The strategist took his hand and stood. She then ran over to her husband and hugged him. Benny picked her up and hugged her. "I know, I know. Believe me I know. But we have to stay strong. Please." 

The two walked back to the camp together while holding hands, it was going to be a tough night, but they didn't lost sight of their main priority; Protecting that door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter was so short, I have band camp and it is draining me of basically all of my energy.

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! So uh, this is the first time I wrote a fic, so criticism is appreciated! Most of the content is from headcannons I have for characters of the game. If you want to see more, my tumblr is http://www.fire-emblem-what-ifs.tumblr.com


End file.
